The Long Way Home
by epicnerddance
Summary: After the portal closes, Emma and Regina are stuck in the Wish Realm (End of 6x10). How will they get back to Storybrooke with no magic bean and with the imminent threat of Robin shooting them? Who will they need to find in their quest to reach home, and who will be against them?
1. You Clearly Don't Know Everything

**This fic starts where the Winter Finale (6x10) left us - with Emma and Regina stuck in the Wish Realm, no more magic bean, and a WishRealm!Robin about to rob them. So excited for this story - I have so much planned!**

"He looks so _real_."

"You said yourself, Regina, nothing in this realm is real!"

"I know, but…"

Nothing could distract Emma from the urgency of Robin's arrow pointing squarely at Regina's chest. Now that the green clouds of the portal had shrunk into the ground and left a gaping crater, there was nothing else to steal her attention. Regina, however, hadn't looked away from Robin since his arrival. Emma could see Regina's hands furling and unfurling at her sides, as if she wanted to reach for him. Emma hoped that she didn't; they both knew Robin's aim well enough to know they'd be dead in two heartbeats.

"Your purses, ladies, or I will have to take them from you forcibly."

Regina seemed to have lost all speech and could only stare. Emma couldn't imagine what feelings must be storming inside of Regina right now, but it meant that she had to figure a way out of this by herself. This Robin did not know them, had never fallen in love with Regina. He wouldn't think twice about shooting them, and then where would they be? Two bloodied foreigners on the shore of the Wish Realm. And, if they somehow didn't bleed out, they'd have no magic to get home anyway.

Wait. That was it.

 _Magic._

"Are the two of you deaf?" Robin said, his hand straining against the pull of his bowstring, his forearm tensed. "I'll give you to the count of 3, then I'll be shooting the two of you and taking everything you've got anyway. One-"

"Wait!" Emma said, putting up her hands in surrender. She delved one hand into the pocket of the white, fur-lined cape she wore. Her fingers clasped around a small purse. Withdrawing it, she walked forward cautiously, passing Regina, who stood trance-like, unmoving and silent.

"If we give you this," Emma said, walking towards Robin, "will you help us?"

"Help you?" Robin scoffed, "I'm here to rob you!"

"We're damsels in distress and you're a hero, isn't that kind of what you live for?"

Robin laughed harshly, his bow bobbing in his hand.

"From where I'm standing, I'm taking from the rich – that would be you, by the way, Princess – and giving to the poor. Whether you're distressed or not doesn't really come into it."

"Right. Princess." Emma groaned. She'd forgotten who she was here. "That would be me."

She stretched out her arm, giving herself plenty of berth between the gold she was offering and the tip of Robin's arrow. He slackened it, reaching forward to grab the purse, when Emma's other hand shot up, fingers outstretched and eyes concentrated. White smoke enveloped Robin's chest, drawing around the bow and arrow in his hand and the sheath on his back. As the swirling cloud disappeared, so too did Robin's weapon.

"Witch!" Robin snarled.

"You can have our money," Emma said, throwing the bag of coins towards him. He caught it with one hand, his fingers clenching around it. Emma was certain he must have other weapons, so she spoke quickly. "Now we need something in return."

He laughed again.

"Why should I help you two?"

"You can have your bow back when we're done."

"Is that so?" Robin mused. He looked inside the purse, confirmed the gold that clinked inside it, and then looked searchingly over the two women. Emma glanced back at Regina momentarily. She was still silent; Emma had never known her so dumbstruck.

"Is your friend a mute?" Robin asked. Emma wasn't sure if he was joking.

"No," she said, smiling. "Just stunned."

"What on earth for?"

Regina stepped forward, eyes still unwaveringly fixed on Robin.

"You don't-" she began, faltering. "You don't know who I am?"

Robin had one eyebrow arched questioningly.

"At first glance I believed you to be the Evil Queen, but she has not been seen for decades and she would never dress so… subtly," he answered.

"I am not the Evil Queen," Regina said, "but I was once, in another land. It has been a long time since then."

"Is that so?" Robin said, mockingly. "What inspired the transformation, your _majesty?"_

"Many things," Regina said. "I had – have – a son, whom I love dearly. He changed me so profoundly that I was barely recognisable. There was also a man, not so long ago, who proved to me that I was still capable of loving, despite all I had done to blacken my heart."

Robin's face was unchanged, no hint of the recognition that perhaps Regina was hoping for. Emma knew that he would not stick around long if they didn't get him on their side and so far, he had no reason to be.

"Listen," Emma said, stepping to stand beside Regina. Perhaps absolute truth was the answer. "We are not from this realm. We desperately need to get back home, and need some form of magic. We just lost our one portal out of here and we need another."

"You're royalty - what do you mean you're not from this realm? You _own_ this realm!"

"This realm is an illusion, created to trap Emma," Regina said. "My evil _twin_ managed to get hold of a genie and– it's a long story, but we swear it's the truth."

Robin's brows were furrowed, his eyes switching between the two of them. This obviously made no sense to him, and how could it? Emma reasoned to herself that they didn't exactly need his _help_ – they both knew the Enchanted Forest well enough to get around. Instead, it seemed like Regina needed _him_. He may be an illusion, but whilst they were stuck here, there was no harm in keeping him close for her sake.

"We don't expect you to understand us or believe us right now," Emma said, "but we could use you on our side."

Robin didn't seem moved.

"You don't remember this," Regina said, gaining confidence, "but we know you. We – I – know you very well."

"Prove it."

Regina's intake of breath was clearly audible. She seemed to be steeling herself.

"You have a band of Merry Men," she began, "and they mean the world to you. You have a lion tattoo on your right arm that you got when you were in your late teens. You married Marian, you have a child-"

"Quiet!" Robin said, angrily. His eyes were furious for a moment, boring into Regina's, but he averted them. In an instant, sadness overtook his whole frame. "You clearly don't know everything. Marian is dead."

"What?"

"I'm not going to repeat myself!"

Emma tugged at Regina's arm, talking lowly at her side.

"Come on, Regina, this isn't working. We should go."

Regina's eye were brimming with tears as she looked at Robin, her feet planted. Robin didn't look up, and Emma tugged gently again. Regina began to back away, sand shuffling around her shoes and a tear spilling onto her cheek. Just as they turned, the silence was broken.

"Say I believe you – and I'm not saying I do," Robin said, his head rising to look at them, "why should I help you?"

Regina wiped away another stray tear and looked more determinedly at him.

"The Robin I know would never let anyone who needed hope seek it alone," Regina said.

They were looking one another squarely in the eyes, neither rising nor backing away. Emma felt that they were reaching an agreement.

"Plus we'll give you your bow back afterwards," Emma offered.

"I suppose that it's a deal then," Robin said, nodding reluctantly, " _damsels_." Beside Emma, Regina's chest fluttered, as if she'd suddenly found breath again. Emma smiled, but remained weary; Regina couldn't get too attached to this Robin of the Wish Realm, or she'd have another broken heart to deal with once they got back.

As they began walking up the beach towards the forest, she glanced at Regina, who was watching Robin intently from the corner of her eye.

Perhaps it was too late to worry about Regina's broken heart.

 **Thanks for reading! Chapter 2 is already up and 3 is written, ready for editing! Thanks and credit to my roomie, Bel, for being a fellow nerd and planning with me :)**


	2. Not The Darkest

Over a decade ago, Grandpa Charming took the young Henry into the very heart of the castle to where the Enchanted Council gathered. The huge tree trunk, sawn down and polished to a shining round table, was crowded with high-backed, regal chairs that cushioned the King and Queen's most trusted advisors from all over the land.

"Here, Henry, is where rule is established," the King had told his grandson. "Whether in times of peace or war, safety or peril, this is where we guide our people. They look to us to make important decisions on behalf of their safety."

"Like what?" Henry asked, looking up from under his new armour.

"The last time was concerning your mother," Charming replied, "and the Evil Queen. She had threatened the land with a curse and we had to stop her. We gathered the council, and your grandmother and I found a way to end her tyranny forever."

"Wow, Grandpa," said Henry. "Will I ever be on the Enchanted Council?"

"Henry, one day you will head the Council."

"You are gathered," Henry said, looking around those who were now seated at the table, "because we find ourselves in a state of emergency."

The faces in front of him looked confused, worried, downtrodden, but determined. Henry thought he saw the Grasshopper, Jiminy, twitch a little under his magnifying lens.

"This morning, the Evil Queen returned," Henry explained. "You saw this at my knighting ceremony, though I'm sure you could hardly believe your eyes."

"It's really her, then?" Grumpy said.

"We may have doubted at first, but..." Henry faltered, hanging his head as he struggled to find the words. "My mother went to the Evil Queen's old castle to surrender and retrieve our beloved King and Queen, but the Evil Queen crushed their hearts."

"No!"

"It can't be!"

Sobs and outcries erupted from ever chair, some standing, some banging their fists. The collective sorrow touched Henry and fuelled his fire; this kingdom would not be the same without his grandparents, but he would not let their people down.

"My sweet mother could do nothing in the face of such an evil. I arrived in time only to watch the King and Queen die in front of her. Just as I threw my sword to vanquish the Evil Queen, she froze time," Henry said. "By the time my sword hit the ground, she had vanished, taking my mother with her."

"We should have known," Grumpy said, his fists clenched. "We should have realised that no one could get rid of the Evil Queen forever."

"She was the darkest thing in this land then, and she is again now," Granny said, "and believe me, I've seen my share of darkness."

"Not the darkest."

All eyes turned to rest on Henry, who was looking around intensely. The sudden hush sent a wave of electric anticipation around the table.

" _He_ still exists," Henry said. "Not only do we know where he is, we have him easily within our grasp."

"No," the Blue Fairy said, speaking for the first time. Her eyes were full of concern and hesitancy. "No, we cannot trust him."

"We have no choice. I cannot let this stand," Henry said. "The long and peaceful reign of my grandparents will not have been in vain. We will find the Evil Queen and make her pay for her treason, and we will use his power to do it."

The Blue Fairy went to speak, but the Huntsman spoke up.

"You have the Royal Guard at your command, Your Highness," he said, the crest of the Enchanted Forest emblazoned upon his armoured chest. "What would you bid us do?"

"Put a bounty on the Evil Queen's head," Henry said. "If anyone so much as glimpses her, we need to know. You should accompany troops to search the forest, her castle, everywhere. She _will_ be found. The Blue Fairy and I will go to the dungeon."

"What about the price, Henry?" the Blue Fairy pleaded. "You have not seen this, after so much peace in our land, but all magic – especially dark magic – comes with a price."

"You think me ignorant, fairy?"

"No, Your Highness, but you must be cautious."

"I am following in the footsteps of our beloved King and Queen. Caution will come after they have been avenged."

"And what happens when the Evil Queen is found?" asked Gepetto. "We no longer have the Enchanted Tree as a vessel or a portal."

"That," Henry said, "is something we will have to ask the Dark One."

 **Thanks for reading, all! I thought I'd explore what Henry might be like if his mother hadn't been the Saviour; without her, he wouldn't have any need to believe.**

 **Emma, Regina and Hook back next chapter!**

 **Emily x**


	3. Humbert?

**Thank you for your lovely comments and follows and favourites so far! I will keep you waiting no longer :)**

Robin refused, point blank, to travel anywhere using magic.

Being entirely willing to cater to this Robin's every whim, Regina complied wholeheartedly. They walked through the forest that lined the seashore at a maddeningly slow pace. Emma snagged her long gown and cape on almost every tree branch they passed, but she had stopped complaining.

"Emma, should anyone see us, you need to look like _Princess_ Emma, not _Saviour_ Emma," Regina had said. "We can't afford to panic people any more than we have already."

"Looking un-queenly didn't stop anyone from recognising you."

They had decided to head inland, to take cover in the heart of the forest where no other unexpected friends would stumble upon them. They needed time to think; they had not only lost the bean, but any chance they might have once had with Rumpelstiltskin was now dashed.

"There's no way we're going back to him again," Emma said. "We know that he can't be trusted, his deals are too pricey – even in a temporary realm, I wouldn't go to him once, let alone twice."

"What other choices do we have? We need a magical object to create a portal and he is certain to have one. Actually, he probably has a dozen to spare, if we ask him nicely enough."

"You know as well as I do that niceties don't factor into it with him," Emma replied. "We'll think of something else."

"Well, think fast. We shouldn't stay here too much longer, who knows what could happen."

Emma could not help but think that they would already be out of here if it weren't for Regina wasting their one bean, but she kept quiet. If she could keep on Regina's good side, then perhaps…

"We could find Hook," Emma said, not quite looking Regina in the eye.

"And why on earth would we want to do _that_ , Emma?"

"He's a pirate! He could have plundered all sorts of magical objects we don't know about."

Emma could sense that Regina was not convinced. As the evening began to dim and dusk enveloped the little sky that was visible through the canopies above them, they decided to make camp. Robin began gathering wood for a fire, but Regina laughed.

"No need for that," she said, conjuring a ball of flame that flickered wildly in her palm. She set a small fire going and Robin chuckled.

"I suppose that renders me rather useless, then," he said. "Remind me exactly why I've been brought along on this little adventure?"

Neither woman responded, but Emma could have sworn she caught Regina smiling bashfully as she turned away to clear a space on the forest floor to sleep.

"You really aren't the Evil Queen, if you're planning to spend the night in the dirt," Robin said, incredulously.

"I'll admit it's not my first choice," Regina said, "but I don't see any other immediate options."

"You'll be picking twigs out of your hair, you know."

The flickering of the small fire and a pale moon shining between the tree trunk was just enough for Emma to see Regina's face as the three of them lay down for the night. Robin – who was evidently used to forest dwelling with his band of marauders – didn't take long to drift off, his soft breathing inaudible over the crackle of the flames.

Emma managed to get Regina's attention before she, too, closed her eyes in earnest. A little rock bounced off Regina's neck, accompanied by a quick, sharp intake of breath.

"What on earth is going on?" Emma whispered frantically.

"What do you mean?" Regina answered, propping her head up with her forearm to shield it from the dirt.

"How did we end up in this situation? We were about to jump through a portal and be done with this mess and now we're with Robin Hood on the floor of a forest in a make-believe realm without a bean and without a plan to get another one."

"Excuse you, Princess, but you would have done the exact same thing if you had been in my place," Regina said. Emma couldn't disagree. "Besides, we have bigger questions about this place. You saw your parents."

"They were so old," Emma said.

"Yes, they were," Regina said, "but Robin hasn't aged a day. In fact, if anything, he looks younger than the last time I… I saw him."

"It must have something to do with the Evil Queen's wish that created this realm," Emma said. "If I'm not the Saviour here, that means that there was no curse here that required one. If there was no curse, and no Evil Queen, a lot of people's lives would have been very different."

"So different that something caused him not to age?"

"It's the only explanation," Emma continued. "He's not aged; Marian died. Everything is completely different for him in this realm. Think – what wouldn't have happened in his life if there was no need for a Saviour?"

"I don't know," Regina admitted after a few moments. "It's so complicated, it could be anything, but maybe-"

"Shhh!"

The voice was neither Emma's nor Regina's; it was Robin's. He was sitting up in his makeshift bed, staring deeply into the surrounding forest.

"Robin, what-"

"Stay quiet," he warned. "Someone's here."

Regina flicked her wrist, dousing the flames quickly and smokelessly as Emma searched the dark shadows around them. The three of them had collectively risen to their feet without deciding to do so, alert, eyes narrowed. Emma could see Robin's hand itching to reach an invisible sheath behind his back, and quickly she cast her hand forward to summon it in a cloud of white smoke. As soon as it reached his hand and he loaded his bow, they were bombarded with figures charging from the trees.

On every side they were surrounded, each of them darting around hopelessly to find some escape. The moonlight hung down from above them and glinted off the armour of the intruding group – the crest of the Enchanted Forest kingdom was a silhouette against their chests. The realisation dawned on Emma.

These were the Kings' Guard, and they were looking for her. She was, after all, a meek and missing princess.

"Hands in the air!" one of them shouted. Emma looked sideways at Robin as she did so, and saw his hand still resolutely straining back the string of his bow. Regina looked worried.

"Hood! We finally meet in the flesh," said one Guard, stepping forward and removing his helmet. Emma gasped audibly.

" _Graham?_ "

It was undeniably him, though the scruff of his beard was greying against his chiselled jaw, making him look more like the wolves he had lived with. He still had that distant look in his eyes, and Emma wondered whether this realm had granted him back his heart.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Graham said. "Who?"

"You – Hunstman… Graham?" Emma said, foolishly.

"Come here, Your Highness. You're confused. No doubt your captors have cast a spell over you."

"No, Huntsman, I'm fine."

"But Your Highness-"

"Enough of the 'Your Highness,' _please,_ " Emma said. She turned her wrist to cloak herself in white haze that dissipated to reveal a red leather jacket and black jeans. She was satisfied by the confused looks of her father's Guard.

"Princess Emma!"

"Look, if your name's not Graham, what do I call you?"

"I am Humbert, Your H- Princess."

"Humbert?" Emma said. "Really? Huntsman Humbert. Okay, I can roll with that."

"Emma," Regina said, her hands still in the air, "will you stop making conversation and sort out this mess?"

"Right. Sorry. Humbert, we've got to go."

"You know I can't allow that, Your Majesty." The Guards drew in tighter, their swords readying, forcing the three renegades closer enough to be within Regina's reach.

"Enough of this," she said. Her hands still raised, she summoned a swirling purple cloud that covered the three of them, shielding them from the Guards' view. Emma felt that familiar pull of magic, the feeling of a different ground being placed under her feet, and when the smoke wisped away, they were standing near the docks, which was teeming with drunken sailors.

Robin furiously turned to Regina.

"I thought I said no magic!"

"Well, excuse me for getting us out of there alive," Regina said. "Perhaps if Emma hadn't stopped to have a nice little catch up with her former fling, we would have been able to outrun them."

"Perhaps if you two hadn't been having a nice little discussion about my history, you would have been more alert and we wouldn't have had that confrontation at all," Robin seethed.

"Wait!" Emma interrupted them. "That's it – that's his ship, The Jolly Roger!"

Not stopping to explain, Emma began to sprint across the crowded dock, where sailors were gathered in merry drinking groups, loud and raucous and cheering. She didn't spot, in her hurry, the Wanted posters peeling from the window of a tavern, Regina's heavily-made-up face glaring out from the portrait.

Emma hurried to the ship's gangway, knocking drinks from the hands of the ship's crew and their guests. There was obviously a celebration happening on board; the deck was teeming with music and laughter, kegs flowing and busty companions willing.

"Hook!" Emma called. "Hook!"

She was stared at by a few, but ignored by most. She approached a half-drunken man who was singing loudly and slopping his mead.

"Where's Captain Hook?" she asked. "I need to speak with the Captain."

"Don't know what yer talkin about, love," he slurred. "Captain who?"

"Captain Ho-" She stopped, realising her mistake. "Jones. Captain Jones."

The drunken pirate was looking over her shoulder. The voice she heard from behind her sent a shiver of recognition up her spine.

"Well, lass, you've found the Gods-given gift you were searching for."

 **Ahhhhhhhh Captain Killian! Honestly, I really hope Emma and Regina find him in the Wish!Realm on the show! It would be for exciting!**

 **Also, I never knew that Humbert was The Huntsman's name in the original fairytale - I has a bit of a laugh about that one when I looked it up. I much prefer Graham haha!**

 **Next chapter is already written, so it won't be too long! :)**

 **Emily x**


	4. Keeping it in the Family

**I'm so surprised and happy and grateful for all the follows and favourites so far! I'm really enjoying mapping out this story with my roomie and so elated that people are enjoying it. Prepare yourselves - here comes WishRealm!Hook :D**

Emma had been replaying those first words over and over in her mind, trying to think of Killian as she knew him, speaking from a man that she recognised.

The Captain Hook of this realm was entirely foreign to her.

For starters, he had no hook at all, but two strong, weathered hands that were adorned by rings encrusted with thick jewels. As Emma had turned around, his sauntering frame had loomed over her, stockier than she knew, and tanner. Most notably, he was aged. Though the Killian she knew and loved was really centuries old, his trip to Neverland had preserved his youth. The Captain Jones stood in front of her on the deck of the Jolly Roger looked his age, which must have been in his fifties.

"Well, lass, you've found the Gods-given gift you were searching for."

It was something she would have expected him to say, especially knowing how he had been when they had first met. The rest of their conversation was entirely unchartered territory.

And now she found herself tied to the mast along with Regina and Robin, wondering where it first went wrong.

"So, Miss Swan, was it? Are you ready to tell the truth?"

"I swear, I already told you the truth, Killian."

"It's Captain Jones, lass," he said, bringing his face even closer to hers, "and this Captain doesn't believe some cock-and-bull story about your other realm with your bizarre clothes and your alternate reality."

"You love this jacket," Emma mumbled.

"So I suggest you think of something else to tell me, or we'll be forced to turn you all in to the Guard. By the looks of those posters on the dock, we'll be cashing in a hefty reward for that Queen."

Regina squirmed underneath the ropes that bound her to the mast and strained her hands against the ties at her wrists. They had established quickly that Jones _did_ have magical objects on board, namely the magic-repellent ropes he used to capture them. There didn't seem to be a way to wiggle out of this one.

"You know the first time we met," Emma said, "I tied you up-"

"I'll bet you did."

"- and left you at the top of a giant's beanstalk."

"If that's true, then I suppose this is payback," Killian said, flashing a wicked, toothy smile.

"I don't know how to make you believe me," Emma said, defeat in her voice. It was true. They had no real evidence, and their shared history was useless to this Killian. She hung her head, no longer willing to look him in the eye.

"Then I suppose that's it then," Killian said, reaching forward his hand to tilt her chin upwards and force her to look at him. "We'll be sending for the King's Guards. Usually I like to deal with these things myself, but that rew-"

"Your tattoo!" Emma suddenly exclaimed, her eyes fixed on his wrist.

There, in faded but undeniably real ink, was the name that might help her: _Milah._

"Milah! You still ran away with Milah!"

"You know Milah?"

"Yes!" Emma said, leaving out that technically the only time they'd met was in the Underworld when she was already dead. "Yes, I do."

Killian appraised her, his lined eyes sceptical beneath his arched, greying brow. He backed away, Emma suddenly feeling less claustrophobic, and he yelled to no one in particular.

"Fetch my good lady wife!"

"Wait, she's still alive?" Emma gasped. The look of angered confusion on Killian's face made her wish she'd kept quiet.

"Why would she not be?" he questioned.

Emma stayed silent.

"Where on earth are you expecting this to go?" Regina muttered under her breath, careful not to let the surrounding pirates hear.

"I have no idea," Emma said, "but there's no stopping it now."

When Milah appeared from below deck, Emma felt her stomach twist and tighten. She had expected Milah to have kept the beauty she'd witnessed in the Underworld, but the woman emerging was still a vision. Even in age, Milah was elegant beyond her circumstances; her raven hair, dark eyes and sharp jaw were stunning. Her subtly rouged lips, full and puckered, elevated her well beyond the sea-faring clothes that she donned. The fine lines that lay either side of her eyes and mouth spoke of years of laughter and amusement, no doubt a life well-lived.

"Milah," Killian said, beckoning her with his hand that was supposed to have a hook, "this Swan girl thinks the two of you are acquainted."

Emma didn't think she'd be able to speak. Milah sauntered forward, the confident walk of a woman who was used to a life on deck. She appraised Emma with that same quizzical brow of her husband, and Emma's heart sank a little further at the thought that they'd grown together so completely.

"I don't know about you, love," Milah said, assessing Emma from head to toe, "but I don't know this girl."

Emma steeled herself.

"So blondie, how is it we're supposed to know each other? Spit it out."

"I know your son," Emma explained. This was the truth, and easier to explain than their awkward meeting in the Underworld.

"Oh, our first mate?" Milah said.

Killian gestured to a man behind them at the helm, beckoning him forward. A young man, stepped around them to stand by his parents, the spitting image of the Hook that Emma knew.

Emma cursed under her breath. Of course they have a son together.

"Come here, lad," Killian said, his arm resting on his son's shoulder. "Liam, you know this tale-spinning wench?"

"No," Liam said, a smirk on his lips, "but I could get to know her."

"Urgh," Regina said, "Emma, keeping it in the family so many times is a bit much, even for you."

"What?" Robin asked from beside her.

"Aye, I'd like to know what that means as well," said Killian.

"In our realm," Regina said, "Emma is in a relationship with the dear Captain here."

"So she claimed," Killian said. "Hence why you currently find yourselves tied to the mast."

"Even if we were to disregard that fact, to cavort with your son would be particularly distasteful because she's already had a child with his brother."

"Excuse me?" Milah gasped. She raked her eyes over Emma then, suddenly frantic and agitated. "You know Baelfire?"

"Sounds like she more than knows him," Liam said.

"You have a son with Baelfire? In this realm?" Milah asked.

"And in my own," Emma said, looking to Milah, "and I need to find a way to get back to him."

 **And scene! I've decided that I both love and hate Old!Hook - he acts like such a ladies' man, yet underneath... well, you'll soon see! I wouldn't want to spoil any surprises ;)**

 **The next chapter will be up soon! I was on an absolute roll on Saturday (possibly because I was procrastinating writing for my degree...) so I have a couple of chapters to spare!**


	5. Ruined for All Other Men

**Hey, everyone! I've had some really lovely comments over the past couple of days - thank you! This is the longest chapter so far - lots of Old!Killian, so enjoy :)**

Emma was as surprised as anyone to be making her way to the Dark One's castle with such an unlikely group in the early dawn; Robin was walking close to the front, his bow in his hand and his eyes scanning the forest; Milah had changed into a burgundy leather corset and trousers, claiming they were the most practical, though Emma questioned that; Captain Jones was following just behind her, carrying a black satchel and staring quite openly at his wife's accentuated figure; Regina was bringing up the rear, furtively glancing at Robin as she did.

Their conversation on The Jolly Roger had taken quite a turn.

"I need to find a way to get back to my son," Emma had said, imploring to Milah. "Please, I need your help to return to our realm. Right now, I don't know how we're going to manage it."

Milah had watched Emma, first frantically because the revelation of her connection with Baelfire, and then soberly. She walked to Emma and stood in front of her, no longer appraising her, but with a look of understanding.

"I know what it is to be separated from a child," she said. "No mother should be away from her son."

"Love, I-" Killian began.

"We will help you," Milah said. The next words had been spoken to the crew. "Untie them!"

As they walked through the forest now, Killian came up behind Emma and snaked his arm over her shoulders.

"So, lass," he said, "you mentioned we were knocking boots in your realm."

"Your wife is right next to you," Emma said, peeling his hand from her.

"She doesn't mind," Killian said, laughing. "You know I have a woman in every port?"

"So he says," said Milah, "but I know I've ruined him for all other women."

Killian threw back his head in laughter.

"True, my love," he said. He turned to Emma again. "So, Miss Swan, did I ruin you for all other men?"

"Oh please," Emma said, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, oh please," Regina said from the back, "please stop."

"I apologise," Killian said, "I didn't realise that I'm so non-essential to your quest that I can leave and be on my way. I'll take my squid ink with me."

His hand clasped over the black satchel that he'd brought with him, in which the bottle of inky magic was being kept. Once they had established that there was no magic powerful enough on The Jolly Roger to open a portal, they'd had to think of something else.

It had been Robin who had suggested a magic wand. Surprisingly, it had also been him to suggest they look for one at the Dark One's castle.

"I've been there before," he said. "I needed the wand for… well, regardless, I didn't succeed. The wand would still be there and the last I'd heard, the Dark One was imprisoned by the King and Queen."

"About that," Regina said, sheepishly. "He's no longer in prison. I released him when I went looking for a way to open a portal. It wouldn't have mattered, Emma and I were supposed to be gone by now, but…"

Killian shook his head.

"The Dark One has a reputation that's known across all lands, no matter where we've sailed to," he said. "There's no way you'll be able to retrieve something from his castle without his knowing."

"Then we need to distract him," Emma said.

"Even that's too risky," Regina said, "we'd practically be handing ourselves over on a plate. We need to face him and make a deal."

"No," Emma said. "I refuse to do that."

"What about squid ink?" Milah had suggested.

Emma looked over at Milah now, whose hand was grasping her husband's as they navigated the woodland path. Emma's heart felt like a thumping knot in her chest. Milah and Killian had produced the squid ink, knowing of its immobilising properties, and had offered it to Emma on the condition that they accompany it.

"It's been a while since we've been on a proper adventure," Milah had said.

"Besides that, you might be thieves," Killian had said. "Wouldn't want you running off with my goods and leaving without payback. The Dark One's castle will be loaded with treasure, I'm sure. That will be payment enough."

"You've got to be kidding me," Regina said. "Please tell me you see the irony in that."

Hook laughed.

"Do as I say, not as I do."

He looked so carefree, Emma thought as she watched them together. Killian stumbled a little over a tree branch and Milah laughed at his expense, earning herself a playful squeeze. Emma had realised, during the course of their planning, that they did not know the true identity of the Dark One. Her Hook had told her of the reunion long ago aboard his ship, of Milah and her ex-husband. Knowing how it had ended, she couldn't bring herself to tell them now. Without their help, she wouldn't get back to Henry.

If Regina knew, she kept quiet as well. Emma reasoned that Hook's past was not common Storybrooke knowledge; the town knew about his stolen hand, but they might not know about his wife's stolen heart. That was something that Killian had once told her in low tones in a private moment. How she longed for her Killian now.

Captain Jones was all pirate brashness.

Though the way he looked at Milah was different…

"We're not far," Robin called from the front of the group.

"Then that's my opening to take a leak," Killian announced, splitting from the group and wandering off into the trees. Milah watched him amusedly, then joined Robin as he walked in front.

Emma walked alone for a few minutes, thinking of Henry and going over their plan to get back to him and the others in Storybrooke. Her Killian would take care of Henry, as would David, but she still worried to be away from him. Storybrooke had such a knack for attracting trouble that it was hard not to anticipate danger happening there.

When Captain Jones re-joined the group, he walked alongside Emma. The morning sun was rising in earnest now, casting a warm glow over them as they reached a hilltop and broke free from the trees. A castle loomed in the near distance, down a few miles of country road.

"The Dark One's castle, I presume," Killian said as he and Emma followed a little behind the group.

"Have you ever met the Dark One?" Emma asked. She considered that she was in dangerous territory, but she had to know for certain.

"No, I've never had the displeasure" he replied. "As I said, we've heard of his misdeeds many a time during our travels, but It's been years since we've docked in this kingdom."

"You've travelled far?"

"We've travelled everywhere. There's a map on the wall of my cabin on The Jolly that Milah likes to throw her knife into. Wherever it lands, that's where we sail to next."

Emma thought wistfully of Neal and their map to Tallahassee.

"And your son has always travelled with you?"

"Yes, he was born on the ship." Killian smiled. "As soon as he was old enough to learn the ropes, he was navigating with the rest of us. He's a skilled navigator, knows the stars better than I do, I reckon. He's got sea legs though – he gets land-sick sometimes."

Emma laughed.

"How is he expected to conquer the women at every port if he can't go on land to seduce them?"

"He's my son!" Killian protested in jest. "I would never teach him to debase women in such a way… Of course, he's my son, so he does it anyway."

They walked a few moments in silence, Emma listening to the birds and trying not to think about all the ways that her Killian and this Captain Jones were the same and different. Captain Jones was surveying the skies.

"The weather looks favourable," he said.

"We're talking about the weather?" Emma said.

"I'm a sea-faring man," he said. "The weather is vitally important."

"I suppose. I just worried for a second that we were running out of things to say. That's never happened to us before. Well, with _my_ Killian," she corrected.

" _Your_ Killian? This imposter bloke from that realm you insist is real?"

"It _is_ real and so is he."

"So you keep saying," Killian said, "but I know that the universe can only possibly hold so much charisma, and the true source is standing right in front of you."

"Yes, my Killian was quite arrogant when I first met him too, although I trained most of that out of him," Emma said, grinning. Captain Jones smirked and looked ahead towards Milah; no doubt she'd done something similar with him.

"So this Killian then," Captain Jones said, carefully stepping down the hill and offering her a hand as she climbed down a particularly tricky rock. "Is he as devilishly handsome as I am?"

"More so," Emma joked, "because he's not old and grey yet. Though it pains me to say it to your face, but I will admit I'll be very happy if he looks like you by the time we get to your age."

"You plan to be together then?"

"Always," Emma said, filled with the reassuring certainty that permeated her thoughts of Hook now.

"So your Killian," he said, "has no Milah tattoo?"

Emma almost stopped short, suddenly worried that she would say too much and ruin their chances of completing their plan. _He is not real_ , she said to herself, echoing her words to Regina only yesterday. _This realm is not real._

"He does have the tattoo," she said, "but Milah had died long before I met him."

"How long?"

"Hundreds of years," Emma replied.

"A hundred years and he still looks more handsome than me?" Captain Jones said. "That's codswallop if I ever did hear it."

"It's the truth! It's complicated – he's travelled across many different realms, some of which were frozen in time or had no concept of it. The people there never age."

"Interesting," Captain Jones mused. "Did Milah not go with him?"

"No," she replied, "she had already passed away by then."

"How?"

Emma reminded herself again that this realm wasn't real – practically fictitious – and that little white lies wouldn't last much longer here.

"She left Baelfire," Emma said, "and it ended up killing her."

Captain Jones did not ask any more questions, for which Emma was glad. He was absorbed in his thoughts on the rest of the way down the hill; their companions had assembled together at the bottom, waiting for them to catch up. As they came closer, Killian spoke up again.

"My Milah has never been able to let go of Baelfire," he said. "She's right, no mother should ever be apart from her children and she's regretted it ever since. We heard that he'd died a while ago when we were travelling through Arendelle. Her heart broke that they had never reconciled and that's why we came back here. She wants to see his grave. I would never wish that sadness on anyone, Miss Swan. We will help you return to your boy."

Emma blinked away some of the faint tears that were beginning to mist over her eyes.

"Thank you," she said, simply.

As they walked on, she realised what a weight it had been to have Captain Jones under the impression that this was all a ruse, and now he had changed his mind.

It wasn't much, but it felt one step closer to Henry.

 **Hope you enjoyed :) You'll be seeing Prince Henry next chapter!**

 **Emily x**


	6. One Chance to Negotiate

**A short Henry-centric chapter for you today :)**

Inside the Evil Queen's old castle – a rotting spire atop a desolate hill that no one had approached for decades – Prince Henry and a few of his men searched, ensuring the castle's old owner was nowhere to be found. The place that had once housed darkness had imprisoned another since before Henry was born; he had never been to this place, but had heard of its dark gloom and the evil that waited eternally in a cell underneath it. It was for that evil power he now pursued. He made his way to the dungeon's entrance where the Blue Fairy was waiting for him.

"The Huntsman has confirmed it," Henry said, reading the note that had been passed to him by his squire. "The Evil Queen has my mother hostage and has her under some sort of confusion spell."

"It is no surprise," the Blue Fairy replied, hovering beside him as he began to walk down the torch-lit stairway.

"No, although one thing may surprise you," he said, crumpling the note as he took a torch for himself. "They've been joined by someone else. A renegade known as Robin Hood."

"The man who steals from the rich to give to the poor?"

"Yes, the very same," Henry said. "Whilst I admire his morals, I do not admire his utter lack of regard for the law. Having such a man in cohorts with the Evil Queen cannot be desirable."

They went lower into the castle's dungeons, the only light now coming from the flame in his hand and the Blue Fairy's faint glow. Further they went, until they reached the lowest level of the prison.

"Be alert," Henry said, turning a corner and drawing closer. "We will only have one chance to negotiate with him and we cannot lose it. Without his magic, we have no hope in defeating the Evil Queen."

Their footsteps echoed around the dank chamber, fire illuminating the way as they approached the Dark One's cell. Henry strained his ears to listen for that tell-tale laughter to ring out that had haunted children's ghost stories for as long as he could remember.

They waited.

No giggling voice called to them.

Not caring to be cautious any longer, Henry rushed forward and pressed near to the rusted bars. Banging his fist against them, he growled.

The cell was empty.

"He has escaped!" he yelled, anger drawn on his features. The Blue Fairy shuddered and backed away. Henry turned and stalked past her, already running to the stairs to climb.

"We must assemble the Guard," he said, taking several steps at once.

The Blue Fairy hurried behind him, wings fluttering.

"They are already searching for Princess Emma, Your Highness."

"Then I will go alone," he replied, reaching the main castle with heavy breaths and aching legs, but nothing could tear his attention away from his frenzy.

"Your Highness, I-"

"You are no longer required, Fairy," Henry said, beckoning to one of his men. "Bring me my horse!"

The Blue Fairy watched as he climbed atop his steed in a single, swift, angry motion. As he dug his heels into the horse's flank and galloped out of the castle's doors, the Blue Fairy wondered how the kingdom that had seemed so perfect only a day ago could have unravelled so quickly.

 **Oh, Henry! You're so tense!**

 **Drama drama drama coming up next chapter :O**

 **Emily x**


	7. Got Nothing to Lose

**As always, please enjoy (or don't - that might be what this chapter wants...)**

The castle of the Dark One loomed over the group as they crept nearer, pressing themselves against its rough, red outer walls and beneath its golden windows. Hiding amongst the overgrown bushes that must have once been luxurious, they huddled together.

"This is it," Emma said, looking around at each of them. "We'll be dealing with some pretty serious stuff in there, so this is your last chance to pull out."

"And miss out on all the _fun_?" Killian said.

"This is our fight," Emma said. "We don't want anyone caught in the crossfire unnecessarily."

He smirked – smiling in front of the house of the Dark One of all places! – and Emma nodded.

"We're still in, lass."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Milah give him a flirtatious wink.

"So Emma and I will cast a protection spell when we enter the room," Regina said. "It won't hold against the Dark One forever, but it can keep him at bay. Captain, you'll be ready with the squid ink."

"Aye, but I've been thinking," Killian said. "Perhaps Milah can hold the ink. I need my hands free for my sword – it doesn't feel right to go into battle without it."

"A sword won't be any match for him," Robin said, "but I know the feeling. I can't go without my bow either."

Killian passed Milah the satchel, their hands brushing playfully, even in this serious moment, and she hung it over her shoulder. For them, this really was another adventure. For Emma, it was life or death.

"Okay, so that leaves Robin and Hook to search the room," Emma said. "Robin, you're happy lead the way?"

"It seems as though I'm the one best acquainted with the place, having broken in before," Robin replied.

"If you don't mind me asking, mate, what happened?" Killian asked. It was the question that Emma and Regina had been itching to ask ever since he attempted to rob them on the beach.

Robin looked pensive, deliberating for a moment, as though he were fearful of sharing. He averted his eyes as he spoke.

"My wife, Marian, was sick," he began. Emma saw Regina stiffen slightly, even more attentive. "She was expecting our first child and I was desperate to heal her. Someone in a neighbouring village suggested a magic wand, and we'd all heard of the Dark One's hoard. So I went to steal it. I can't tell you how painful it is to have had it within my grasp, literally brushing my fingertips. But I was caught. I was arrogant to think that just because I was a skilled thief that I could outwit the Dark One. I barely escaped with my life."

The group was utterly silent. Considering their current undertaking, it was a sobering tale.

"I'm sorry, mate," Killian said, breaking the stillness. "I can't imagine losing my wife. It must be a hollow feeling."

"It is. More than hollow, it's harrowing. It's debilitating," Robin replied. "I searched for other magical objects to heal her from all across the land, getting myself cursed in the process. It was all in vain. Marian died not long after."

Silence lingered between the group. No one asked about his child. They did not need to.

Emma looked around the group; she knew the Dark One – she'd even _been_ a dark one. The stakes suddenly felt alarmingly high. She turned to look at Regina.

"Are we doing the right thing?"

"Probably not, but what other choices do we have?" Regina said. "We don't belong here, Emma. The only way we'll get back to Henry is if we get that wand."

"We've already come too far," Robin said. "And I've got nothing to lose."

"Aye," said Killian, "let's go."

Robin showed them round to a back entrance of the castle, a set of tall, wide, wooden double doors that were overgrowing with ivy. Captain Jones ripped through the tough vines with his sword, before Regina used her magic to unlock it. As it swung open, cold air emptied out, chilling them before they'd even set a foot inside; the cloudless morning held more warmth than the dark extravagance held within.

As Robin quietly led the way, each of the group were constantly look around, watching doorways and creeping around corners, ears pricked. Emma noticed Regina's concerned glances at the leader of their party. As they came closer to what Robin had described as the trophy room, Emma caught Regina's arm.

"Are you okay?" she whispered.

"Of course," said Regina quietly, furtively glancing down the corridor. "Well, no, obviously not."

"What happened to Robin is definitely not what happened in Henry's story book."

"No."

"What could have been so different?" Emma whispered. "I never had interactions with him or Marian, how could his life have been so different without a saviour?"

Robin beckoned them down an ornate but neglected corridor, which led them to only one room. Regina whispered in a hurried tone.

"To cut a long story short, without me, there was no Belle here. Without Belle, Gold had no conscience and therefore showed no mercy. And Gold without mercy… well, you don't need me to expand on that."

"No, I don't," Emma said, "but Regina –"

"Shhh!"

The door swung open at Robin's touch, and they entered, shutting it quietly behind them. The room was cluttered with treasures and trinkets covering every surface and filling every cabinet. It reminded Emma of Gold's shop in Storybrooke – alarmingly so, for there were some things in there that she recognised: a pale white globe; a dream catcher; a gilt sword.

"Okay, Regina, Emma," Captain Jones said, "cast your spells. Milah, by the door. Hood – let's get looking."

They split around the wide room, Emma and Regina raising their hands and willing all they could to protect the chamber. As Killian and Robin began looking around for the magic wand, Milah pointed and called across the room.

"There, Killian," she called in hushed tones from her position by the door. "I see it in that cabinet."

Killian crossed the room quickly, pulling open the glass fronted door and reaching to take it. Emma turned, putting down her hands to see their target, when he let out a bloodcurdling cry. Emma could only see the blood splatter against the back of the glass before he fell to the floor, clutching his wrist.

The words that followed chilled down her spine.

"That's _mine,_ deary!"

 **DUH DUH DUUUUUUUHHHHHH!**

 **Next chapter will be up soon :)**

 **Emily x**


	8. My Milah

**He's my roomie's favourite character and he's finally making a proper appearance...**

No one had seen him come in, nor felt him pass through the magical barriers they'd protected themselves with. The first tell was that sing song voice that rang out clearly over Killian's pained roar.

"That's _mine,_ deary!"

"The Dark One!" Robin yelled, pulling a useless arrow taught in his bow and aiming it atop the cabinet where the Dark One perched. Both Emma and Milah ran towards Killian, but Emma felt a magical force pulling her back.

That's when she knew they'd been caught in a trap.

Milah reached her husband's side, shaking in fear. Killian was clutching a bloodied mess where his hand used to be.

"No!" Milah cried, "No, Killian!"

She turned to the Dark One to scream.

"What did you d-"

She stopped. Emma's chest tightened as recognition dawned on Milah's face.

"Rumpel?" she said. "No, it can't be! Rumpelstiltskin?"

"Good day, my dear Milah," crooned the Dark One. "It's been – my, my, it's been _years._ "

"How did yo–?"

"Become the Dark One?" he finished. "It's a long story, my dear. But after you left me and _abandoned_ your son, I was forced to act."

He did not jump, but suddenly he was on the ground, his face close to Milah's, the scaly skin of his fingers rough under her chin. She could only stare wide-eyed into the olive-green abyss.

"Now, because of you, our son is _dead_."

They were all just audience to Milah's grief, to her standoff with this creature who was totally in control. The Dark One sauntered, kicking his foot into Killian's ribs where he lay on the floor. Rolling, Killian groaned like a wounded animal, grasping his arm and cradling it uselessly. Emma reached him, pulling him away from the Dark One.

"Rumpel." Milah's skin was deathly white, her beauty diminishing under his unearthly glare. He still had his finger under her chin, his sharp, black nail digging into the fleshy skin; when he walked, she was dragged along with him. Emma could feel Killian shuddering beneath her where they crouched on the floor.

"Rumpel, I didn't-"

"Didn't do what? Leave him? Betray him?" His voice was raising, no longer a mocking song, but fierce and hateful. "Do you understand what you did to him? Do you know how it drove a dagger into our family?"

"Please-"

Even strong, fearless Milah was petrified, rooted to the spot where Rumpelstiltskin led her. Whether by magic, or just pure horror, she was powerless against him in that moment.

"I've had a long time to think about this, deary," the Dark One said, circling his prey. "If you hadn't abandoned us, he wouldn't have grown to resent his home. He wouldn't have sought his kingdom with the King and Queen and their knighthood, he would have stayed with me. My Baelfire would not have sided with them."

Killian cried out across the room, his voice strangled.

"The ink, Milah!"

She dug her hand into the satchel, but she could not move quickly enough. Before her fingers could clasp around it, it was rising into the air in front of her, dangling tauntingly, hovering, then dropping rapidly between her outstretched hands. The smash ringed in their ears and the Dark One laughed maniacally.

"You think I didn't know you had squid ink?" he yelled. "Of course I knew! I know everything! I knew you were docked here, I knew you were coming!"

Milah raised her hands, as though it would stop him, her face crumpling with dread at the onslaught of his angry words.

"And I knew I'd be able to finally avenge my son!"

"Avenge?" Milah cried. "Rumpel, no-"

The Dark One plunged his hand forwards, and Milah hunched forward with the force. Striking through behind her ribs, he clamped his hand around her heart and pulled. Milah screamed, watching her beating, glowing heart be plundered from her chest and held out in front of her.

The Dark One squeezed, and Milah began to choke.

"You broke his heart!" he seethed, squeezing harder until Milah dropped to the floor, clutching at her chest, eyes rolling. "Now I'll break yours!"

Milah's wild eyes desperately sought Killian's. Before a word was spoken, the Dark One's hand had clamped down, crumbling Milah's heart until it turned to dust, falling from his fingers and scattering atop her stilling form. Her body slumped to the ground with a sickening thump.

Killian's choking yell seemed to break the Dark One from his murderous trance; he turned, as if only just remembering there were more people there than he and Milah. Killian had risen up, straining against Emma's grasp, but weakened by blood loss.

"Get out," the Dark One said, so low that they couldn't be sure they'd heard him. Emma began to pull Killian backwards towards the door, despite his struggling. Hood and Regina backed away as well.

"Get out." The Dark One grew louder and louder, spit flying from his mouth as his wide eyes raved and furrowed, "Get out! GET OUT!"

The group turned and ran in earnest, Emma pulling Killian by his good arm, blood clotting against his clothes as he cradled it to his chest.

"Milah!" he shouted. "My Milah!"

"Robin! Regina!" Emma shouted as they hurried down the corridor, "help me!"

The group ran closer together, nearly tripping as they crowded around the staggering Captain.

"There's something stopping me from transporting us," Regina said. "Some kind of barrier."

"On foot it is," Robin yelled, taking Killian under the arm and hauling him as he continued to writhe, barely supporting his own weight.

Running out of the door through which they came, they kept going, through the bushes that surrounded the castle's grounds and to the wood the lay behind it. They pulled Killian with him as he wept, not stopping until they were well under the cover of the trees.

"Milah!"

They rested him up against the trunk of a tree, and Emma crouched in front of him.

"Hook, stay still, we need to heal you," she said, putting her hands forward.

"Hook?" he said. Confusion was soon followed by shock, and Emma's heart sank as the realisation dawned in his eyes and he looked down at his severed wrist. "Hook? His hand? You knew?"

"No, Captain, I-"

"This happened to your Killian? You took us in there when you _knew_?"

 **More trouble afoot - does it ever cease? Of course not! This is OUAT - we live for the drama!**

 **I have the next chapter planned (there will only be one or two more after this) but it's not yet written! I was so pleased with myself that I'd written a huge chunk in one go and wasn't scrambling to post every day - now I've caught up with myself and need to have another good crack at it so that I can post again.**

 **Thanks for all the kind words and support - glad you're enjoying! Please feel free to post links on Tumblr etc if that's your thing :) More soon!**

 **Emily x**


	9. Trust me, Princess

**This chapter has taken a little longer to write than anticipated - I wanted to do it justice as it explains the main drive of this story in the Wish Realm. I had a pretty strong reaction after the last post that I guess I should have expected (though having Anons ask if they should get the rope from which I'm going to hang myself is obviously taking it too far).**

 **I hope that Emma's reasoning becomes clearer in this chapter, particularly. I'm not going to say anything more here! Enjoy!**

"Emma," Captain Jones said, a furious, despairing look in his eye. He slumped against the tree trunk behind him, losing energy every moment but still burning with anger. "You knew this would happen?"

Around them, there were no singing birds, no woodland creatures. It didn't feel like the fairy tale of the Enchanted Forest; it felt as though they had slipped into a nightmare, where the Dark One's castle forever loomed and there was no break for air. The woods felt claustrophobic and ominous.

"I-" Emma began, faltering. "I didn't know for certain, but… I suspected. It was a possibility."

"You took us in there when you knew!" Killian shouted, his voice hitting off the surrounding trees, his wrist still bloody and useless against his chest. Emma glanced towards Regina and Robin, both standing nearby, watching silently and uncomfortably.

"You need to understand," Emma said to Killian, pleading with him, "this whole realm isn't real."

"Are you trying to tell me my pain isn't real?"

"No-"

"The love of my life is dead and I don't care about your ridiculous other realm!" Killian shouted, his face contorted with rage. "You led us into a graveyard! Worse, a place of torture!"

Emma couldn't reply as the tears bounded down her cheeks uncontrollably. She _had_ suspected. It _had_ occurred to her. How could she call herself the Saviour when she had deliberately endangered them for her own ends?

In that moment, she knew she could not make the pirate believe when she barely believed herself. She had no more words. She could only cry in front of him while he watched, a sickened look etched over his lined face. Those lines had been carved from years of laughter. How well they now exhibited disdain and grief.

"And it was all for nothing," Regina said, breaking the silence, her arms folded across her chest. "We didn't even get the wand."

"About that," Robin said. Emma's eyes were blurred with tears, but as Robin reached into his pocket the evidence of his plunder was unmistakable.

"You have it!" Regina said, rushing towards him, the air ringing uncomfortably with the clash of joy on anguish. Emma winced. "We can go home!"

As Regina began examining the wand, Emma turned her eyes back towards the Captain. When she had looked away, he must have continued to glare at her; his fierce stare was raking through her, perhaps willing her to combust, or to turn into someone else, or to drop dead. Every ounce of fury and hate he possessed was directed at her, and she knew well what his fury looked like, though it had been years since she'd seen it and it had never been towards her. When she had first met her Killian, he had been this very man, but on the hunt for a crocodile rather than a princess.

"Killian – Captain," she said, lowly. "I would never have done this in any other circumstance, and I know you have no reason to believe me right now, but I'm telling you the truth. This realm only exists because I was trapped here by a genie's spell. It's not reality, it's a prison, and once I leave… well, it won't exist."

"And you'll go on and live happily ever after?" Captain Jones snarled.

"So will you."

"Trust _me_ , princess, I will never be happy again."

"I'm so sorry," Emma said. "I'm so, so sorry. I knew how much it killed my Killian to lose Milah –" Killian shuddered "– and I've put you through this, but I promise it will all be over once we get through that portal."

"So you're just going to leave me here and that's that?"

"When we're gone, there won't be a 'here' for us to leave," Emma said. "It will all be over."

"But you're taking Hood, I presume?" Killian asked, looking behind her.

"What?"

Emma followed his nodding gaze, turning to Regina and Robin, who were gathered around the wand; Regina's hand was outstretched, waiting for it as Robin twirled it in his fingers.

"No," Robin said, apparently reacting to Regina's request for the wand. "No way I'm giving it to you for free. I come with you, or no one goes at all. That's my price. Like I said before we entered that nightmare, I've got nothing to lose."

Regina didn't even pause.

"Deal."

"Now wait just a minute-" Killian began.

"Shh! What was that?" Regina said, scanning the trees around them. They could all hear it too, the sound of horses' hooves hitting the earthy ground, thumping wildly. Emma looked at Killian, whose face had drained of all colour.

"Please, let me heal you so we can get you out of here before we leave."

"What's the point, lass?" he said, trying to shuffle himself upright, but only slumping down further. "If there's any truth to your lies, this will all be over soon. Get that damned portal open and get out of here."

She knelt down further towards him anyway, ignoring his protest as he twisted back. Lifting her hands above his bloody stump, she willed him to be healed. Warmth spread through her fingertips, glowing, as his wrist sealed up into a covered stub. He raised it to his eye level, inspecting it reluctantly.

At least the grimace of pain was gone from his face, Emma told herself.

"I won't thank you," he said.

"That's okay." Emma went to touch the Captain's cheek, but he flinched away from her hand. After all that had happened, could she really blame him?

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "I'm doing this because I love Killian and Henry and they love me. They're waiting for us in Storybrooke. I need to get back to them."

"Go, Swan."

The sound of hooves sounded nearer, and suddenly they were not alone. As Emma turned to look, she heard Killian murmur hatefully under his breath. She swallowed back tears as Henry, fully-clad in armour and atop a towering horse, came bounding out of the trees towards them. He swung down and landed near Emma. He held out his hand to beckon her.

"Mother!" he said. "Come here! Get away from them!"

"Henry, it's okay," Emma said, holding up her hands to console him. "Henry, it's not what it looks like."

Behind them, Regina was murmuring a spell as she waved her arms, before casting the wand down to the forest floor. Henry unsheathed his sword, yelling at her to halt, but Emma lifted a hand forward to stop him. A strong wind whittled around them, sending leaves and dirt swirling around their feet as the vivid, green, swirling portal opened.

"I have to go, Henry," Emma said. "I know it doesn't make sense, but I'm doing this for you. I'm sorry we can't take you with us."

"Whatever they've told you, Mother, it's a trick! You're under a spell!" Henry shouted over the raging of the portal.

Emma shook her head, stepping away from him and grabbing Regina's hand. She, Regina and Robin stood waiting by the portal, ready to jump.

"No, Henry," Emma said, "this world is the trick. It's not real. Don't worry, just trust me. I'm your mother, please, just trust me."

"Emma, we have to go, now!" Regina screamed.

Then Robin rushed forward and jumped and they were pulled along with him.

"I love you, Henry!" Emma shouted, her hand involuntarily reaching for him as she slipped into the familiar tumultuous pull of the portal. As the world around them disappeared from view, Emma's ears were filled with Henry's parting words, shouted over the chaos.

"I don't believe you!"

 **Never-ending drama! I'd love to hear your thoughts (Constructive criticism, yes. Death threats, no thank you)**

 **There will be two more short instalments before this fic is over! The end is in sight! (and partially written already - I'm on it!)**

 **Emily x**


	10. Skip All the Backstory

**A short last chapter (and an epilogue to be posted with it!). There's not much else to say! See you on the other side ;)**

For a few moments, all Emma could sense was the rippling of magic around her, whirling through her hair and her clothes, forcing her eyes shut against the stinging and the confusion. She thought of Storybrooke, willing herself there, though her mind was clouded over with thoughts of Henry, his last words still ringing in her ears.

 _I don't believe you._

Henry, her truest believer.

The words of Captain Jones pierced through her as wel–

The thud that dropped them on the main street of Storybrooke was disorienting and broke off Emma's thoughts. She blinked against the harsh glare of the street lamps overhead as she opened her eyes, her arm coming up to shield her face. As the clouds of garish, swirling green dissipated around them, a glimpse of a dark form also disappeared from view with a swift flash of olive green and gold. Emma had never seen that happen in a portal before, but it was night time in Storybrooke, and so dark without a single star that she was sure her eyes must be tricking her.

Beside her, Robin was looking around in awe, his hand instinctively reaching for his bow, the world completely new to him.

Regina was looking at Robin in disbelief.

"It worked," she whispered.

The familiar jingle of Granny's front door opening caught their attention.

"Emma! Regina!"

David and Killian – her Killian, her glorious, young, loving Killian – were running down the diner steps and into the road towards them. Emma ran forward too, wrapping her arms around Killian, pulling him in fiercely towards her as they folded in together. It was a warm collision, safety after her hours of confusion and unrest. She knew she was shaking, but she couldn't stop herself.

"You're home, my love," Killian said. "It's alright."

"I'm so sorry," Emma murmured with tears in her voice, echoing her words from only minutes before, but a lifetime away. "I'm so, so sorry."

"For what?" Killian asked.

"Robin?"

David was staring openly in shock; their old friend had returned, as alive as he ever had been. He came forward, a smile emerging, though he had no words to say.

"King Charming!" Robin said, bowing a little, though seemingly sensing how odd it was in this foreign place where the king had no crown.

"No need to bow, Robin," David said, beckoning him and the others forwards. "We should probably get inside. A lot has happened since you both left, it's not safe to stay out here."

Emma untwined herself from Killian to look around worriedly.

"What's going on? What's happened?"

"Get inside, love," Killian said, his hand around her waist to guide her towards Granny's, "we'll talk in there."

"Killian, wait," Emma said, holding the lapels of his jacket as the others left them.

"What's the matter?" Killian asked. His hands rested against her waist, tethering her to him, as though he felt her old skittishness returning. "You're home. What's happened? You're shaking."

"It's hard to explain," Emma said. "I don't know where to start."

"Skip all the backstory, just tell me what it is bothering you."

"I met you," Emma said. "Well, not _you_ , a different you. You were much older, you were a pirate captain, you… well, in truth, you ended up despising me."

"Codswallop, I could never despise you."

"I heard it for your own – his own – lips, Killian. Just before we took the portal back here, I had healed him, and I heard him. He… he said-"

"It doesn't matter, love, I'm obviously an idiot."

"You don't understand, I-"

"I don't care that I don't understand, I don't need to know his reasons for taking a disliking to you right now. You're here with me, not him, and he's evidently a blaggard and a fool, if that's any surprise."

"That's just the thing," Emma said, resting her forehead against his chest. "I could understand him hating me – I did an awful, awful thing to get back here. But he said he thought he must have been a fool to love me in any realm. I heard him, he said-"

"Shhhhhh, my love, that's enough," Killian said, wrapping his arms around Emma, trying to soothe her. "As I said, I don't care what I said in any realm, I don't care what you did to some other me or whatever he was. You're here with me, and I love you, and surely that's all that matters."

"I love you, too. So much. I'd honestly do anything to get back to you."

"And I you. Now let's get inside, lass," he said, guiding Emma towards the diner. "Your father wasn't joking when he said it's unsafe out here."

"Why, what's happened?"

"Let's just say we've got more than an Evil Queen to worry about in Storybrooke now."

 **They're back! They're home! Hallelujah!**

 **I'm about to post the Epilogue, so I'll write a proper finishing note there.**

 **Emily x**


	11. Epilogue: The Last Thing I Do

**Not quite over yet...**

Behind his closed eyelids, Killian could see the vivid blotches of green everywhere, like it was engulfing the world. He smiled in satisfaction. The Swan girl was right, then. Her magic was swallowing up this realm and him along with it.

 _Milah, my love. I'm coming to you._

After the sound of magic rushing through the trees had died down, Killian opened his eyes. The last speck of vivid green vanished.

And here he still was, handless.

Prince Henry was watching the portal close too, his face contorted with rage and confusion, as the forest around them settled into an uncomfortable hum.

"They tricked her," he said to himself.

"Aye, it would appear they tricked us all."

Henry turned to the Captain, surprised, as though he'd not noticed he'd been present before. He stepped forward towards him.

"Who are you?" Henry asked.

"The name is Captain Jones of the Jolly Roger."

"I am Prince Henry."

"Yes, I know," Killian replied. They stared at each other for a moment, and the weight of the past hour hit Killian with force.

Milah was dead.

No longer tired from blood-loss, he stood, his body shaking with rage as he held out his severed wrist.

"Did the Evil Queen do that to you?" Henry asked. "To your hand?"

"No," Killian snarled, beginning to walk away. "That was your mother."

"My mother?"

"And I'm going to find her if it's the last thing I do."

 **DUH DUH DUHHHHHHHHH!**

 **That is all (for now), folks! I've had such a blast writing this story - I love taking all the maybes and writing something from them before we know the reality. I'm much more interested in writing to fill in gaps, rather than rewrite (although I read a lot of AU actually...)**

 **The end of this story is obviously wide open, and though I have plenty of ideas for a sequel that continues on in Storybrooke, I don't know if I'm going to have time to write it with all of my university work and other commitments (I should be writing for assignments... I have one due on Tuesday... oh well!)**

 **Thank you all for reading - especially those who have followed it from the first chapter I posted and followed me through, leaving comments and messaging me about possible plot points - it's been so interesting to hear your ideas and opinions!**

 **I'm working on something for a Tumblr prompt right now, so you'll see that in the New Year :)**

 **Hope you've enjoyed!**

 **Emily x**


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